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Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Computer Science (B.S.)

College of Engineering

Concentration(s):
Cybersecurity, Data Science, Software Engineering
Program description

The Department of Computer Science offers undergraduate and graduate programs. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science is a rigorous, highly concentrated curriculum of computer science courses. It includes advanced study in several important areas of computer science and provides a strong foundation in this discipline. Every course is taught by full-time faculty members who also serve as advisers to both undergraduate and graduate students.


The master’s degree emphasizes continuing self-development of individuals currently engaged in science-, technology- and engineering-related fields. It prepares persons who have completed undergraduate majors in these fields for entry into careers in areas that use computing technology. Both the theoretical and applied aspects of computer science are emphasized in this program. The program offers courses in a wide range of areas in computer science, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and cloud computing, data mining, bioinformatics, and medical informatics.

Career opportunities

Computer science (CS) spans the range from theory through programming to cutting-edge development of computing solutions. Computer science offers a foundation that permits graduates to adapt to new technologies and new ideas. The work of computer scientists falls into three categories: a) designing and building software; b) developing effective ways to solve computing problems, such as storing information in databases, sending data over networks or providing new approaches to security problems; and c) devising new and better ways of using computers and addressing particular challenges in areas such as robotics, computer vision, or digital forensics.   

Change of major requirements

VCU GPA of 3.0 or greater, with a minimum of 12 VCU credit hours earned. Completion of MATH 151 with a grade of "B" or higher, or placement in MATH 200. Completion of any two of MATH 200, MATH 201, STAT 212, all with grades of "B" or higher. Any of CHEM 101 and CHEZ 101, PHYS 207, or BIOL 151 and BIOZ 151 with grades of "B" or higher.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Computer programmer
  • Cybersecurity engineer
  • Data engineer or architect
  • Project manager
  • Sales engineer
  • Scrum master
  • Software engineer or developer
  • Software quality assurance and test engineer
  • Web or mobile app developer
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • College Professor
  • Computer Architecture Engineer
  • Data Scientist
  • Lead Software Engineer
  • Machine Learning Engineer/Scientist
  • Project Leader
  • Research & Development Engineer
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 307
  • STAT 212
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 3.0+ cumulative GPA
Transfer Maps

Contact information

Department name:
Department of Computer Science
Building/room location:
401 West Main Street, Room E4225
Phone:
(804) 828-0575
Email:
compsci@vcu.edu
https://egr.vcu.edu/departments/computer/
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map compass icon
Major map

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Create a draft engineering resume and meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services to discuss it.
  • Learn about research opportunities through V.I.P Teams, UROP and DURI.
  • Volunteer to do research with a professor.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Continue coursework in programming, math, chemistry, and physics.
  • Consider Accelerated Master’s, added at end of second year.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Consider short-term, semester, and year-long study abroad opportunities.
  • Learn the historical and current events that have shaped cultures to which you have been underexposed.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Take ENGR 395 Professional Development & gain key skills for finding internships, co-op’s, or research opportunities.
  • Apply for internships, co-ops, and VIP Teams.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
  • Consider attending a national career fair (SWE, SHPE, NSBE) to gain exposure to more employers.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Attend or present a poster at a scientific meeting or conference.
  • Consider the Cybersecurity or Data Science Certificates for meeting upper level CMSC elective requirement.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Update your engineering resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Create and complete a science related community-engaged research project.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Consider being a mentor in VINE.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Work on developing your professional online presence (LinkedIn, Handshake, Github).
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Engineering Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Attend the Engineering Internship & Career Fair.

Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Choose CMSC electives relevant to your preferred post-graduation opportunities.
  • Declare any possible outstanding minors for which you may already have credit (Math, for example).
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Consider working as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Continue to explore cultures beyond your own through scholarly and recreational avenues.
  • Visit the Museum District’s many offerings, such as the VMFA and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Computer Science (B.S.)

College of Engineering

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Apply to be a Division of Student Affairs peer leader.
  • Attend one career event sponsored by Career Services.
  • Complete and activate your Handshake profile and opt-in to industry email lists.
  • Consider applying for a federal work-study job on- or off-campus in Handshake.
  • Learn more about potential careers by using Forage in the Navigate 360 app.
  • Review your Career Works 4 year career planning tool and start working on your milestones.
  • Seek research opportunities by checking out the Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry webpage.
  • Create a draft engineering resume and meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services to discuss it.
  • Learn about research opportunities through V.I.P Teams, UROP and DURI.
  • Volunteer to do research with a professor.
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
Experience Year 2
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Continue coursework in programming, math, chemistry, and physics.
  • Consider Accelerated Master’s, added at end of second year.
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Consider short-term, semester, and year-long study abroad opportunities.
  • Learn the historical and current events that have shaped cultures to which you have been underexposed.
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Take ENGR 395 Professional Development & gain key skills for finding internships, co-op’s, or research opportunities.
  • Apply for internships, co-ops, and VIP Teams.
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
  • Consider attending a national career fair (SWE, SHPE, NSBE) to gain exposure to more employers.
Year 3
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Attend or present a poster at a scientific meeting or conference.
  • Consider the Cybersecurity or Data Science Certificates for meeting upper level CMSC elective requirement.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Update your engineering resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Create and complete a science related community-engaged research project.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Consider being a mentor in VINE.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Work on developing your professional online presence (LinkedIn, Handshake, Github).
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Engineering Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Attend the Engineering Internship & Career Fair.
Excel Year 4
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Choose CMSC electives relevant to your preferred post-graduation opportunities.
  • Declare any possible outstanding minors for which you may already have credit (Math, for example).
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Consider working as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Continue to explore cultures beyond your own through scholarly and recreational avenues.
  • Visit the Museum District’s many offerings, such as the VMFA and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture.
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Meet with a career advisor in Engineering Career Services.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.